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March 2012/07 This is the 11th edition of our ‘Regional Guide profiles of higher education’. It sets out a range of data on the pattern of higher
education in each of the nine regions in England.
Regional profiles
of higher
education
2009-10
© HEFCE 2012
Contents Introduction Background Regional profiles North East North West Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands East of England London South East South West Annex A: Data sources and definitions List of abbreviations
Regional profiles of higher education 2009-10
Introduction 1. This is the 11th edition of our ‘Regional profiles of higher education’. It sets out a range of data on the pattern of higher education (HE) in each of the nine regions in England. Information for each region includes: a map showing all the universities and colleges providing HE courses a profile of students’ study methods and counts of students by institution characteristics of students: their age, gender and ethnicity; where they come from; what subjects they study; and how they study – full-time or part-time, undergraduate or postgraduate the annual income and funding of each higher education institution (HEI) where students find employment when they graduate from an HEI, and what kind of jobs they take knowledge exchange activities between HEIs and business. 2. The HE sector is well placed to respond creatively to the challenges and opportunities of the global economy. However, we need to balance our global perspective with the need to relate to our own communities and regions. 3. HE plays a vital role in making the country and individual regions more competitive by promoting the knowledge-based aspects of our economy. By supporting lifelong learning and widening participation, HE can also help deliver increased economic productivity and growth, and reduce social inequalities. For this reason HEIs are often seen as powerful instruments for promoting the economic, social and cultural welfare and development of their localities, their regions, and the nation as a whole. 4. HEFCE is a national organisation whose mission is to promote and fund high-quality, cost- effective teaching and research to meet the diverse needs of students, the economy and society. However, HE is delivered in various places by different kinds of institutions, each requiring different responses and different levels of regional and local engagement. In this context we believe we can best achieve our strategic objectives by taking into account opportunities in particular localities. 5. Our approach to the regions recognises the diversity of HEIs and of regions, and does not seek to impose any blueprint, but rather to support the relationships that are already being developed between regional and local bodies and HEIs. We are careful to take into account smaller areas and trans-regional issues as appropriate. 6. We will continue to work with regional bodies such as Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs). We believe there are significant opportunities for us to continue to work with regional stakeholders to support institutions in making the most effective contribution to their region or area, helping them to meet the needs of the students, economy and society in their locality. 7. All this needs to be underpinned by accurate and extensive information about the regional role of HE.
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Introduction and background
Background to higher education 8. Higher education in England takes place in a wide variety of institutions. The three main types are universities, higher education colleges and further education colleges. 9. Higher education courses are generally above the standard of General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-levels or National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 3. They include foundation and first degree courses, postgraduate courses, Higher National Diplomas and Certificates, and a plethora of other qualifications.
Universities and higher education colleges 10. Publicly funded universities and higher education colleges carry out teaching, research and a wide range of other activities. These institutions are referred to as ‘higher education institutions’ (HEIs), or collectively as the ‘higher education sector’. There are 130 HEFCE-funded HEIs in England1. There are also some privately funded universities and colleges that are not included in the HE sector.
The Open University and distance learning 11. The Open University (OU) provides distance-learning courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level throughout the UK and overseas. The university’s headquarters is in Milton Keynes, and it has regional offices throughout the country. 12. Although the headquarters of the Open University is in the South East, we have not included the Open University in the statistics for the South East, because its activities and students are nationwide. We have, however, included a count of Open University students domiciled in each region. 13. The Open University is by far the largest provider of distance-learning courses, but it is not the only one. Other, predominantly campus-based, institutions also provide some distance learning. We have also included a count of these distance learners within the statistics of the region where the student is domiciled.
Further education colleges 14. Further education (FE) is for people over the minimum school leaving age (16 years). Further education courses are generally up to the standard of GCE A-levels or NVQ Level 3, and take place in a sixth-form college, a further education college (FEC) or a higher education institution rather than in a secondary school. 15. Of the higher education that takes place in further education colleges, HEFCE is empowered to fund only certain, prescribed courses2. All courses counted within this document for students registered at FECs are prescribed higher education. HEFCE can fund non-prescribed higher education in HEIs, including where it is franchised by an HEI to an FEC (see paragraph 18). This document counts all provision of HE that we are empowered to fund; we will refer to this as ‘recognised’ HE.
1 Including University Campus Suffolk, a connected institution of the Universities of East Anglia and Essex.
2 This is set out in the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and the Education (Prescribed Courses of Higher Education) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 1998, which were amended to apply to England.
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Introduction and background
16. In 2009-10, 269 further education colleges in England offered recognised higher education courses. Of these, 1243 received funding directly from HEFCE for their 2009-10 HE activity. Many FECs teach students registered at HEIs with whom they have a collaborative arrangement; 248 FECs provided such HE courses in 2009-10. The maps in this publication show that it is common for a college to provide HE courses through a combination of the above arrangements.
Registered at one institution but taught by another (franchise arrangements) 17. Students are taught under a franchise arrangement when they are registered at one institution but taught by another institution. Most franchise arrangements are between an HEI and an FEC, where the HEI receives funding for the students and is responsible for quality assurance, and the FEC teaches the students. A proportion of the funding is passed on to the college providing the teaching. 18. This publication shows data on where provision is taught. Therefore, students taught under a franchise arrangement are included in the statistics of the region where the teaching institution is based (this could be different to the region where the registering institution is based). 19. The number of students taught by franchise arrangements at FECs in each region is provided under the heading ‘HEI registered, FEC taught’. Some franchised students are recorded as taught by a specified organisation that is neither an HEI nor an FEC, and others as taught by an unspecified organisation; the numbers of these students are provided under the heading ‘Other teaching providers’.
Counts of student numbers and full person equivalents 20. The students included in this document are reported in the region where they are taught. This is how students were reported in ‘Regional profiles of higher education: 2007-08’ (HEFCE 2010/15); earlier editions presented data according to where students were registered, with supplementary information on students taught in the region. 21. In order to accurately count provision where students are taught at more than one institution or are studying more than one subject, we have split student headcounts across the institutions/subjects involved in proportion to the activity in each – this results in counts of full person equivalents (FPEs). Using FPEs gives a more accurate measure of HE provision than using headcounts, where the student would have to be arbitrarily assigned to one of the teaching institutions and/or one of the subjects.
Funding consortia 22. HEFCE-recognised funding consortia previously existed to allow funding for a cluster of institutions to flow through a single lead institution. They generally comprised a cluster of FECs and an HEI acting as the lead. Unlike a franchise arrangement, the students remained students of the members, and responsibility for quality assurance fell to each member. 23. Following a review of indirect funding routes4 we no longer fund HE through HEFCE-recognised funding consortia, and institutions that were previously part of these consortia selected new funding routes from 2009-10. In order to present a consistent time series over the three years of data shown, we have reflected the choices that institutions have made in all years of the student data in this
3 This will differ from the number of FECs shown in ‘Recurrent grants for 2009-10: final allocations’ (HEFCE 2009/42) because in this publication we have applied institutional mergers as at 1 March 2011 to the data.
4 The outcomes were published in ‘Higher education in further education colleges: implementation of HEFCE policy’ (HEFCE Circular letter 27/2007).
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Introduction and background publication. Therefore, if member institutions chose to remain as indirectly funded through an institution, then the students will be recorded in the same way as franchised students.
Multiple campuses 24. Many HEIs have more than one campus. The regional maps illustrate major campuses located a substantial distance from the institution’s main site, as returned to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Campus information collection for 2009-10. 25. Some institutions have campuses in different regions to that of the main institution. Students are included in the region of the campus where their teaching takes place, irrespective of where the main institution is located.
Student numbers 26. Students have been included in this publication if they are registered at an HEI or FEC in England, and are studying for a recognised HE qualification. Students have only been included if they are taught by an HEI, FEC or other organisation in England. Those students who are registered in England, but taught outside England are not included in this publication (but are shown in the totals in paragraph 30). 27. Information is derived from the HESA 2009-10 student return and the FE Data Service’s 2009-10 individualised learner record (ILR) F05 return. 28. Numbers of students registered at HEIs are based on the HESA standard registration population. Numbers registered at FECs are from the ILR, and the population has been defined so as to mirror that used in HEIs. Only those students in the HESA HE session population are included in the full-time equivalent (FTE) numbers. Similarly, the definitions of this population have been applied to the ILR for FTE numbers at FECs. Further details of these populations can be found in Annex A. 29. All counts of students presented in this publication are given in terms of full person equivalents or full-time equivalents, rounded to the nearest five5. 30. Total numbers of students registered for recognised HE qualifications in England in 2009-10 are as follows:
Full person equivalents Full-time equivalents
HEI registered, HEI taught 1,737,495 1,299,750
HEI registered, FEC taught 61,910 46,526
FEC registered, FEC taught 46,810 39,235
Other teaching providers 18,110 11,815
Students taught outside England or at unknown location 281,425 198,160
Total 2,148,085 1,596,650
5 Totals are calculated based on un-rounded values, and then rounded to the nearest five accordingly. For this reason, the sum of the values given in a table may not be equal to the total shown in that table.
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Introduction and background
Student characteristics 31. We have illustrated some aspects of the diversity of the student population in each region. These include: mode of study (whether full-time or part-time) level of qualification the student is studying towards the student’s gender, ethnicity, and age on entry to the course subject studied. We have also shown the flows of young6, full-time, first degree students between regions. 32. The HESA student record was used for the characteristics of students registered at HEIs, and the ILR for students registered at FECs. Details of all sources are given in Annex A.
Income to HEIs 33. Universities and higher education colleges are independent institutions that attract income from a variety of public and private sources. These include: grant from HEFCE income from tuition fees (including fees from overseas students) grants and contracts for research activity from public, charitable and commercial sources income from residences and catering. 34. Data on the income to HEIs within the regions were taken from the 2009-10 HESA finance record. 35. The total income to English HEIs (including the Open University) in 2009-10 was £22.2 billion. Grants from the UK HE funding bodies accounted for 33 per cent of this total, while 32 per cent came from tuition fees (both public and private), 16 per cent from research grants and contracts, and 19 per cent from other income.
HEFCE funding 36. We use formulae to determine how most of our funding is allocated between institutions. These take account of certain factors for each institution, including the number and type of students, the subjects taught, and the amount and quality of research undertaken. After we determine the amount of funding, most of it is provided in the form of a ‘block grant’ that institutions are free to allocate according to their own priorities within broad guidelines. A full description of our funding methods for teaching and research, as they apply in 2011-12, can be found at www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2010/10_24/ and information about allocations can be found at www.hefce.ac.uk/finance/recurrent/2011/ 37. The total HEFCE budget for the 2011-12 academic year is £6,507 million. The total includes recurrent funding for teaching of £4,339 million, recurrent research of £1,558 million and £150 million for business and community engagement. We are also providing some transitional allocations totalling £30 million to smooth changes in recurrent grants since the previous year. In addition, we are allocating £223 million for earmarked capital grants and £207 million for special funding.
6 ‘Young’ refers to students who are aged under 21 on entry.
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Introduction and background
Performance of higher education institutions Performance indicators 38. HESA published the annual set of performance indicators for higher education in June 2009. This document illustrates the performance of institutions and regions against two of the indicators – those relating to participation (based on 2007-08 data) and non-continuation (based on 2006-07 and 2007-08 data). 39. We have shown the performance of institutions in each region in recruiting young, full-time, first degree entrants from low-participation neighbourhoods, and the percentage of this group of students who did not continue their studies after the first year. Because non-completion rates and participation indicators are closely linked, these are shown together and are for young, full-time, first degree entrants only. Research assessment 40. The selective distribution of research funds by the UK higher education funding bodies is informed by the results of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), a peer-review exercise to evaluate the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The last RAE took place in 2008. The primary purpose of the RAE was to produce quality profiles for each submission of research activity made by institutions. 41. Our funds help to support the research infrastructure in institutions; contribute to the costs of any unsponsored research they conduct; and contribute to the costs of training research students and new researchers. 42. The quality profiles and FTE staff numbers submitted to the 2008 RAE were used to inform a large portion of the research grant reported in this document. We have also reported these staff FTEs within each region by broad subject group. 43. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the new system for assessing the quality of research in UK HEIs; it will replace the RAE. The REF is a process of expert review, informed by indicators where appropriate. See www.ref.ac.uk for more details.
Employment destinations of first degree graduates 44. Data about the employment destinations of first degree graduates were derived from the 2008-09 HESA survey of Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE). The DLHE is a questionnaire- based survey of the activity of students approximately six months after qualifying. Students domiciled outside the European Union, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not included. 45. All data in this publication are for first degree graduates only. This is to prevent comparisons between regions being distorted by the large regional differences in proportions of postgraduate students. Students who did not complete the DLHE survey were also excluded.
HEIs’ interaction with business and the community 46. The annual HE-Business and community interaction (HE-BCI) survey collects information on higher education’s interactions with business and the wider community. This publication shows the following results of the 2009-10 HE-BCI survey: income to HEIs from such interactions, the type and number, and the facilities and support infrastructure for enterprise provided by HEIs. 47. From 2009-10 HESA has taken over from HEFCE the annual process of data collection for the survey, which is now collected as part of the HESA finance record.
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Introduction and background
Data sources 48. The main sources of data used in compiling this report are: HESA student record the FE Data Service’s ILR HESA finance record HESA DLHE record HE-BCI survey Office of National Statistics’ regional trends online tables. 49. A full description of the data sources is given in Annex A.
Further reading 50. HEFCE and the sector is currently undergoing a period of change due to major changes in the funding and regulation of the higher education sector in England. Further information about the effect these changes will have can be found at: www.hefce.ac.uk/reform/ 51. Further information on HEFCE’s regional approach, and links to staff who provide direct support to institutions through three institutional teams can be found on the HEFCE web-site at: www.hefce.ac.uk/regions.
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Introduction and background
Regional characteristics Population by region 2009 estimates
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000 Population in thousands
2,000
1,000
0 North North Yorkshire East West East London South South East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region Population estimates, Office of National Statistics
Full person equivalent student numbers 2009-10
500,000
400,000
300,000 FPEs
200,000
100,000
0 North North Yorkshire East West East London South South East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England
Region of teaching institution
HEI registered HEI taught HEI registered FEC taught FEC registered FEC taught OU distance learners* Other distance learners* Private/unknown providers * Learners domiciled in region HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles HE Students taught at English HEIs and FECs 2009-10: Characteristics (OU and distance learners excluded) Region of students' domicile
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
% of total student FPEs 30%
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South England East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of teaching institution (HEI/FEC) Domicile and study region the same Domicile in UK, study region different to domicile region EU Domiciled Domiciled outside the EU and the UK Level of study 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
% of total student FPEs 30%
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South England East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of teaching institution (HEI/FEC)
Postgraduate research Postgraduate taught First degree Foundation degree HND/HNC Other undergraduate
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles HE Students taught at English HEIs and FECs 2009-10: Characteristics (OU and distance learners excluded) Mode of study
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
% of total student FPEs 30%
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South England East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of teaching institution (HEI/FEC)
Full-time Part-time
Gender 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
% of total student FPEs 30%
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South England East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of teaching institution (HEI/FEC)
Male Female
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles HE Students taught at English HEIs and FECs 2009-10: Characteristics (OU and distance learners excluded) Ethnicity
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
% of total student FPEs 30%
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South England East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of teaching institution (HEI/FEC)
White Black or Black British Asian or Asian British Other (including mixed) Unknown Age of undergraduate students on entry 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
% of total student FPEs 30%
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South England East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of teaching institution (HEI/FEC)
Under 21 21-24 years old 25 and over
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles HE students taught at English HEIs and FECs 2009-10: subject (OU and distance learners excluded)
Medicine and dentistry
Subjects allied to medicine
Biological sciences
Veterinary sciences
Agriculture and related subjects
Physical sciences
Mathematical sciences
Computer science
Engineering and technology
Architecture, building and planning
Social studies
Law
Business and administrative studies
Subject Mass communications and documentation
Languages
Historical and philosophical studies
Creative arts and design
Education
Initial teacher training
Geographical studies
Combined
0% 5% 10% 15%
Percentage of HE students (FTEs)
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Percentage of young, full-time, first degree, HEI taught students from each region who study in HEIs in that region 2009-10
60%
55%
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
Percentage of students studying in their home region (FPEs) 0% North North East West East London South South Yorkshire East West Midlands Midlands of East West and the England Humber Region of teaching institution and students' domicile
Flow of young, full-time, first degree, HEI taught students into and out of regions: percentage of total students in this group from the region 2009-10
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
-10%
-20%
-30% Net flow of students as percentage FPEs -40%
-50% North North East West East London South South Yorkshire East West Midlands Midlands of East West and the England Humber Region This graph plots the difference between the number of young students entering the region to study at an HEI from elsewhere in England, and those leaving the region to study at an HEI elsewhere in England. For example, the graph shows that the North East takes in more young students than it exports to other regions. For every 100 students from the North East at English HEIs, there are roughly 150 students from England studying in the North East; a net gain of 50.
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Percentage of selected students* in flow categories 2009-10
Students that studied at HEIs
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% Per cent of selected students 20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of employment
Locals: remain in their region of domicile to study and work Outsiders: work in region, domiciled and studied outside the region Returners: return to their region of domicile to work, studied outside the region Stayers: stayed on in their region of study to work, domiciled outside the region
Students that studied at FECs
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30% Per cent of selected students
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of employment
Locals: remain in their region of domicile to study and work Outsiders: work in region, domiciled and studied outside the region Returners: return to their region of domicile to work, studied outside the region Stayers: stayed on in their region of study to work, domiciled outside the region * Full-time, first degree students in employment HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Income to HE institutions OU excluded Total income* by source 2009-10
North East
North West
Yorkshire and The Humber
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
London
South East
South West
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 £ millions Funding bodies grant Tuition fees Research grants and contracts Other
* Income includes income attributable to a share in joint ventures HEFCE recurrent grants for 2011-12
North East
North West
Yorkshire and The Humber
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
London
South East
South West
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 £ millions Teaching funding Research funding Higher Education Innovation Fund Moderation of teaching and research
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Research in English HEIs
Research grants and contracts, by source and region of HEI (2009-10)
North East
North West
Yorkshire and the Humber
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
London
South East
South West
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1,000 1,100 £ millions Public Charities Industry Other
Research Assessment Exercise 2008 staff volume - 2* and above
Category A staff by broad subject area Staff FTE North East 1,844
North West 4,142
Yorkshire and the Humber 3,866
East Midlands 3,052
West Midlands 2,741
East of England 3,115
London 8,703
South East 6,039
South West 2,904
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percentage of staff FTE
Medicine Science and engineering subjects Social sciences Arts and humanities Education
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Sources of income from HE-business and community interactions for each region 2009-10 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40% Per cent of income 30%
20%
10%
0% North North Yorkshire East West East London South South East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West Humber England Region of HEI
Income streams Research activities Business and community services Regeneration and develpment programmes Intellectual property Median annual salary of full-time first degree graduates 2009-10 20,000
18,000
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000 Median salary £ 6,000
4,000
2,000
0 North North Yorkshire East West East London South South England East West and the Midlands Midlands of East West graduate Humber England average
Employment location Study location
HEFCE 2009-10 Regional profiles Selected students* salary distribution 2009−10 Distribution by study region
38,000 36,000 34,000 32,000 30,000 28,000 26,000 24,000 22,000 Salary £ 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000
North North East West East London South South Yorkshire East West Midlands Midlands of East West and the England Humber Population density 0% 12.9%
Distribution by employment region
38,000 36,000 34,000 32,000 30,000 28,000 26,000 24,000 22,000 Salary £ 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000
North North East West East London South South Yorkshire East West Midlands Midlands of East West and the England Humber Population density 0% 14.9%
* Full−time, first degree students in employment HEFCE 2009−10 Regional profiles